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Back Talk with Doug Crabtree

Back Talk with Doug Crabtree

by VRM Media | November 11, 2014

THIS MONTH:

Doug Crabtree and his wife, Anna Jones-Crabtree, own and operate Vilicus Farms, a diverse organic dryland crop farm north of Havre, MT, near the Canadian border. They grow 12 to 15 crops annually in a five-year rotation of grains, legumes, broadleaves, pulses and oilseeds. Doug also serves as organic certification program manager for the Montana Department of Agriculture. He previously worked as an organic inspector, educator, researcher, farm manager and farmer. As beginning farmers themselves, the couple are strong proponents of organic farming as a strategy for new producers. They also see beginning farmers as the key to growing organic agriculture. Doug holds a MS in plant science from South Dakota State University and a BS in agricultural economics from Purdue University. He was recently named the Organic Trade Association’s Farmer of the Year.

Question: Please explain the work you do as an organic farm trainer at Vilicus Farms.

Answer: Vilicus Farms (VF) is a firstgeneration dryland organic farm, based in northern Hill County, Montana. We grow a diverse rotation of grains, pulse and oilseed crops, generally 15 or more crops annually. As our name implies, we strive to be stewards of the land entrusted to us. To that end, we employ a number of conservation and soil-building practices, including a diverse crop mix, strip-cropping, intercropping, extensive field borders, pollinator and wildlife-friendly plantings and avoidance of fallow. Approximately 20 percent of our tillable land is devoted to conservation and habitat.

Anna and I started the VF Apprentice Program to address an unmet need in the food system—to create a new generation of organic farmers. While there are a number of excellent programs training small-scale producers, no one (that we are aware of) is training midscale farmers to provide the grain, pulse and oilseed crops to meet growing demand for organic foods. Our program provides direct, hands-on training on a working organic farm. During the 3- to 5-year apprenticeship, we work hand-in-hand with our apprentices to teach how and why we farm the way we do. We also assist apprentices in developing a farm enterprise, to hone management skills, and a farm business plan to start their own farm operations. At the end of the apprenticeship, we assist “graduates” with securing land on which to farm. We plan to offer machinery and labor sharing, joint marketing and on-going management support to the network of new organic farmers emerging from the apprentice program.

Question: How important is it to help develop the next generation of organic farmers?

Answer: Anna and I believe this is the most important legacy we can offer. The world needs more organic farmers! Organic farming, practiced with a stewardship ethic, is the pinnacle of conservation— improving soil, water and associated resources, while producing safe and healthy food and fiber for the growing population of informed consumers. Unfortunately, while the market (demand) for organic food continues to grow, the supply of organic crops is not keeping pace. The number of organic farmers and amount of land devoted to organic production (at least in our region) is actually declining. As organic and chemically dependent farming systems continue to diverge, it is becoming much more difficult (and rare) for nonorganic farmers to convert. At the same time, existing organic farmers are aging and few of the next generation are returning to farm. For these reasons, it is absolutely vital that we engage in training and empowering new stewards to expand organic agriculture.

Question: There is great demand for organic products today. Why do you think that is and do you expect the demand to continue to grow?

Answer: I am a great optimist. I am encouraged by increasing consumer awareness of issues related to the current industrial-model food system. As more and more people learn the risks inherit in non-organic foods and farming, they will increasingly seek organic foods as the safe and healthy alternative. The only threat I see to the organic market is our inability to meet the demand.

Question: What are the challenges that await the next-generation organic farmer? How can they overcome these challenges?

Answer: My wife Anna and I started VF at age 40, after building successful careers. We had intended to farm earlier, but, the challenges of starting a farm operation “from scratch,” without an existing (family) operation to ease the launch, were substantial. The challenges are well-known and include access to land and capital, establishing marketing contacts and developing a relationship with the land. Organic producers face the added challenges of being “different” from the accepted norms of farming communities. There is little support available from neighbors, lenders, extension or any other traditional structures for beginning organic farmers … even though some are recognizing the deficiencies of non-organic systems and the tremendous opportunities offered by the organic market.

The best way we know to overcome the myriad of challenges to starting an organic farm is to network with other organic farmers—learn from each other’s mistakes, purchase and market cooperatively, share machinery and trade labor to gain efficiencies and provide “moral support” not available in the (non-organic) farming community.

Question: What does it mean to you to be named OTA’s Farmer of the Year?

Answer: I am humbled and deeply honored by the recognition. Enough so to leave the farm in the middle of our harvest! I have a great deal of respect for the OTA and many of its members.

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